Chapter 40 - Over
"It's your choice, Layton," Andrea sneered. "Claire or Emmy."
The professor said nothing.
"Well? Come one, pick one!"
The professor looked at Claire. He studied her face, tears falling down her cheeks. Her expression was serious.
"Please, Hershel," she whispered.
"Hershel, don't do this, please don't do this to me," Emmy wept. "Don't leave me, don't do this, don't kill our baby!"
The professor looked at Bronev. Bronev shook his head.
"remember what I told you at the beginning, Layton."
The professor remembered it well. The morning after his first date with Emmy. Bronev had whispered it to him at the breakfast table:
"I see that you have an infatuation with my niece, correct?"
"Yes," the professor replied. "I have grown rather fond of her."
Bronev leaned forward and murmured quietly, "And you intend to look after her?"
"Yes. I would never hurt her. I intend to remain loyal to Emmy, if that is what you're suggesting," the professor said.
"Because if I find that you have been mistreating my niece in any way, I will hunt you down and kill you," Bronev warned. "Am I clear?"
"Crystal," the professor replied.
"Good."
And here he was, torn between the two women he loved most in the world...
"Hershel?"
The professor looked at Claire.
"I chose you, you know. There was a time in my life when I had to choose as well, you know. I could have been with anyone else, yet I chose you because I love you. And now it's time for you to do the same."
"Claire..." the professor trailed off. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do?
"Today, Layton," Andrea smarmed.
The professor sighed. "I..."
"Yes?"
"I can't."
Claire's eyes widened. Emmy stood up. Flora and Hershel, who had been awoken by the high-running emotions, also stood up.
Emmy stepped forward. "What... What do you mean, Hershel?"
The professor approached her gently and took her shoulders. He looked into her brimming eyes. "I told you before, my darling. I love both of you..." He kissed her on the cheek and held his hand out to Claire. She took it in hers and kissed him gently.
"I never forgot about you after you passed away, Claire. I never stopped loving you, not even now. I spent so long grieving and mourning, until one day..." He wrapped an arm around Emmy's shoulders and kissed her mouth. "I've never stopped missing you, Claire. The pain never went away, but it did get easier. When I started seeing Emmy, I felt so guilty, because I thought I was betraying your memory. I love you, Claire, but I love Emmy too... And I couldn't hide my feelings for her any longer." He kissed Emmy on the cheek. "It was only when you left, Emmy, that I realised how deeply I felt for you. But... But it was already too late..."
"Hershel..."
"But the fact of the matter is that I love the both of you and I could never choose between you. I... I'm sorry." He let go of Emmy's shoulders and Claire's hand and stepped back. "If we can't resolve this in a civil manner, then... Well... I'm not entirely sure what we should do."
Claire raised her eyebrows. She and Emmy exchanged a glance. Emmy dried her eyes and smiled. Claire nodded at Emmy.
Emmy suddenly launched herself at Andrea, knocking her clean off her feet. Andrea cried out as she hit the floor hard. Emmy then kicked her swiftly in the ribs.
"Emmy!" Claire warned.
"I couldn't help it!" Emmy protested. She then placed her foot over Andrea's throat.
Andrea gasped in pain, hardly able to breath as Emmy's foot pressed harder against her throat, slowly cutting off her air supply.
Bronev stepped over her and placed a hand on Emmy's shoulder. "Well, well," he droned. "Who has the upper hand now?"
"Gh-ghlet-me-go-" Andrea choked, her face turning a deep shade of magenta.
"Emmy!"
Everyone turned around. Luke ran forward beaming. Desmond, Raymond and Aurora hovered in the background, but all three of them offered Emmy a relieved smile.
"Emmy! Hershel! Flora! I'm so glad everyone's alright! Er... What are you doing, Emmy?"
Emmy looked down at Andrea's now purple face.
"I suggest you let her go now, Miss Altava," Raymond suggested. "The last thing you need now is a murder charge, especially with the little one on the way."
Emmy sighed. "I suppose you're right." She stepped back.
Andrea gasped for air, choking. Bronev knelt beside her and dragged her into a sitting position. Gripping the front of her blouse, he leaned in so that their faces were almost touching.
"It's over now, girl," he breathed. "I'm afraid you are greatly outnumbered. Ten against one. You cannot win."
"No," Andrea gasped breathless. "Not yet. But soon. Very soon. You wait."
Bronev turned to Layton. "What do you want to do with her?"
"Take her to Grosky," Layton said. "Justice should be served this time." He and Bronev hauled her to her feet.
Andrea gave a pained smirk. "Not bloody likely." She pushed Layton and Bronev out of her way and ran for it. Desmond tried to grab her on her way up the stairs, but she quickly dodged and made for the trapdoor.
"Oh no you don't!" Emmy yelled, running after her.
"Emmy!" Layton cried, chasing after her. "Be careful, please!" He ran after her, but Desmond stopped him.
"Don't bother," he said. "You didn't think that the Great Jean Descole would simply waltz into another criminal's hideout without a trick up his collective sleeve?"
"Oh?"
Desmond smiled. "We enlisted the help of one Superintendent Clamp Grosky. We read Miss McIntyre's file and apparently this wreck of a house is her home address. It was a long shot, but none of us liked the idea of sitting around and waiting for her and Claire to call."
At that last statement, everyone turned to Claire. She smiled.
"Everyone present knows that I would never risk everyone else's lives just to spare my own. The consequences could be disastrous. I know I can't take that chance."
"So you spoke to Emmy earlier and you both devised a plan to overthrow Andrea," the professor finished. He smiled. "If my emotions hadn't gotten the better of me, I would have seen through that."
Claire sighed. "Well... I wasn't sure what I was doing. I think at the start, I was thinking of going through with it... But I knew the enormity of the consequences of such actions. I was so confused..."
"It's okay, Claire," Luke reassured her.
"It's just... There was also the possibility that this was meant to happen. That I was meant to go through with my plan and survive... But there was also the possibility that I was supposed to die... You see what I mean?"
"Yes..." the professor stared off into the distance. "And it could have gone either way."
"Hershel..." Claire took his hand. "I think... I probably would have actually gone through with it if Emmy hadn't told me about... About Alfendi."
The professor nodded.
"But I just thought... That baby has just as much of a right to live as I do..."
"Claire..."
Claire swallowed. "I knew then that I had to let it go. I had to just let you decide. And if you chose Emmy then I had to just accept it."
"But I didn't," the professor said.
"I know... That was when I knew it was up to me... And I knew that if I had decided to live, I wouldn't be able to cope with potentially murdering Emmy's unborn child... And I would have been the only one to have known that..."
"I... I'm sorry, Claire. I'm sorry that I hurt you..."
Claire smiled sadly. "someone had to get hurt." she held out her arms.
The professor wrapped his arms tightly around her. Everyone else looked on sadly as the professor and Claire shared a sad embrace.
"Just do me one last favour, Hershel."
"Anything."
"Don't tell my mother what I've done."
Andrea's heart hammered in her chest as she ran back out through the house and made for the back entrance. She dared not look back to see if Emmy was catching up. She listened out for footsteps, but heard none. She stopped breathless, and eventually plucked up the courage to look. No one followed her.
Andrea let out a sigh of relief. She strolled the last stretch towards her back door and opened it. Her heart almost stopped.
About twelve squad cars were visible over the back fence behind an entire armed police squad. Stood in front of them were Emmy and inspector Grosky, shoulder to shoulder. Emmy smiled smugly.
Grosky stepped forward and addressed Andrea loudly. "miss Andrea McIntyre, you're under arrest for kidnapping and posing an imminent threat to the known world itself. Hand yourself over, or we will be forced to take drastic action."
"Give up," Emmy advised loudly. "People like you never win. Surely you should know that by now, after everything Hershel has taught us? I believe I said it when I first met him: the professor will never lose to the likes of you!"
Andrea took a step back. They couldn't get her, not that easily. She turned back to the house to run back through the back door, but her path was blocked.
The professor, Luke, Flora, Claire, Desmond, Raymond and Aurora all stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking her path.
"Turn yourself in," Emmy called. "Admit your guilt. You'll get life if you're lucky."
Andrea turned back to the police squad. Slowly, she raised both hands above her head.